Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism in his welcoming remarks during the launch of brunei.events portal
 

The guest of honour with other stakeholders under Brunei Festival 2017

Who says that Brunei has nothing to offer especially during the holiday period? According to Yang Mulia Awang Wardi bin Hj Mohammad Ali, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism), Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, there are plenty of events to look forward to and not necessarily those who are traveling during the holidays will be away for the whole of December. Hence there are enough activities for the residents of Brunei Darussalam to enjoy from late November to December 2017.

Yesterday marked the launch of the www.brunei.events, a portal and application for tourism services for the general public as well as incoming tourists to be aware of any events in Brunei Darussalam. So what kind of events will be posted? There will be events such as roadshows, exhibitions, conferences, cultural activities, festivals and workshops. Just imagine it as the Time Out version of Brunei Darussalam.

The portal which will be available soon for mobile apps is a collaboration with Brunei Tourism Board, Progresif Cellular and Mixmediaworx.

The official launch took place at the Tourism Information Centre, Galeri Sini at the Royal Wharf and it was graced by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.

Some of the main events lined up for December includes Brunei Film Blitz, Brunei E-Sports Tournament, Muslim Youth Camp, The Alpha Race, The Autofest, The Superwoman Run, Spotlight finals, Larian Festival Seni Belia Diri 2017, International Food Fair and not to forget the Bandarkuceria in all districts.

Wardi highlighted that this will be a yearly calendar for the upcoming Brunei December Festival. He hopes the objective of this event is to spur the growth of international tourist arrivals to Brunei Darussalam and also by having a yearly event, this will hope for a repeat participation from current vendors. Having these events in Brunei will also help to stimulate the domestic growth within the economy.

Also in attendance were Foreign Dignitaries

YB Dato Seri Setia Hj Ali bin Apong visited the organiser of the Superwoman Run slated for December

Siti Kaprawi briefing the minister on Larian Festival Seni Belia Diri 2017

Suherdy bin Suli, Managing Director of Andika Samudera Event Management will be organising a Hotwheel Bike and Car Show from 29th to 31st December

The BMW X5 cars will be the official car for Brunei Festival 2017

Traditional music is always soothing to the ears

How the portal looks like. Click image to find out more.

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Hajah Nurul Amal Munjiatul Athirah, Junior Producer at Origin Film, Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board, Siti Kamaluddin, co-founder of Origin Films and Din Kamaluddin, co-founder and producer of Origin Films during the press conference of Brunei Film Blitz at Progresif Headquarter

Wanna win cash prize for showcasing your talent? There are two categories – The Open Category for BND 5,000 and the 48 Hour Film Blitz for BND 10,000. The respective winners will also walked away with a camera.

This was announced by Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board and Siti Kamaluddin, the founder of Origin Artistic Management at Progresif Headquarters last weekend.

The event known as Brunei Film Blitz will be finale for the Brunei December Festival 2017 and it will be held on 29th to 31st December 2017. The three day event includes a screening of shortlisted films, master classes with industry professionals, a 48-hour Film Blitz and an awards night.

So let’s go in-depth with the categories: the open category is where film makers can submit their films of any genre (fiction, documentary or animation). It must be shot in Brunei Darussalam and the entry can be of length below 12 minutes duration inclusive of titles and credits. You can send in your older clips but short films made before 2016 will not be accepted. You can send in as many short films as possible. Of course, the more the merrier. The first prize will be BND 5,000 prize and a camera.

As for the 48-hour Film Blitz, it’s new of its kind film competition. The challenge comes when the participants were only given 48 hours to create a short movie. The other catch is that the participants will be given a “secret ingredient” that has to be included in their films. The grand winner of this category will win BND 10,000 and a camera.

The interesting thing is that both categories are open to all walks of life – meaning it’s open to Bruneians, Permanent Residents and everyone, and I mean, everyone, be it tourist. The condition is simple. Just make sure the videos/films are shot in Brunei Darussalam to be eligible. This also means all film makers in Brunei can partake in this contest. Don’t be shy 😀

On Friday 29th September, Origin will host a workshop with industry professionals. For your info, the juries for the competition will be international film makers and sponsors.

Wardi was very excited that this event will help to spur the creativity among the locals and at the same time, showcasing what Brunei Darussalam has to offer. He also hopes tourists will join in the contest. Siti Kamaluddin wants the entries to be creative and open, unearthing their talents in film making in Brunei context. So you can even talk about things like ambuyat, durian, kampung ayer, simply anything.

Registration is already open and you can download the form here and then submit to Origin Artistic Management, Unit 7 BT Complex, Jalan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa BE2513, Brunei Darussalam.

You can also follow @bruneifilmblitz on instagram for updates.

I attended the launch of the Brunei Gastronomy Week held at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism building yesterday. It was launched by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.

Now what can you expect during Brunei Gastronomy Week which will run from 22nd to 26th February? Selected cafes and restaurants will introduce local cuisines in a more modernized and sophisticated way. I managed to view and did some tasting on the samples given yesterday after the launch. There’s something definitely to look forward to next week.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is an initiative by the Brunei Tourism Board under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and also coinciding with the upcoming 33rd National Day celebrations. They have collaborated with local cafes and restaurants and even Royal Brunei Airlines.

There were dishes such as the Bamboo Chicken, Acar Buah-Buahan, Sup Kembayau, Sup Tahai, Nasi Katok, Soto Brunei and many more.

On 23rd February, Royal Brunei Airlines will be serving local cuisines in all regional flights and the travel agents will work closely to help to promote to their passengers who will be visiting Brunei Darussalam.

The Guest of honour with the board members, general managers and chefs

The Guest of honour with the general managers and chefs

The Guest of honour with chefs

Royal Brunei Catering is one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week

Urbn Kitchen is also one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week

The Brunei Gastronomy Week will also be judged based on the given criteria to give incentives to the participating restaurants and cafes. The judges will make their rounds and sample the dishes served and the winners will be announced at the Tourism Industry Award ceremony in April.

This is a very good initiative by Brunei Tourism Board and this will help to create more awareness on local cuisines and also promoting the restaurants and cafes as well as improving the quality of the dishes.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is a way to celebrate and create awareness on Bruneian cuisine, a way to encourage more hotels and restaurants to serve Bruneian cuisine in a more sophisticated way, to improve on the state and elevate the presentation of Bruneian dishes that be part of a fine dining experience and it’s a way to provide a unique Bruneian gastronomical experience to visitors within and outside Brunei.

The Deconstruct Nasi Katok

The Minister touring and sampling food for the Brunei Gastronomy Week

Representing Royal Brunei Airlines

Kolo Mee with prawn from My Town Cafe